Lock for sliding door



Oct. 15, 1968 M ERS 3,405,961

LOCK FOR SLIDING DOOR 7 Filed NOV. 25, 1966 T6 Tide K":

INVENTOR ALBERT M. SANDERS United States Patent 3,405,961 LOCK FOR SLIDING DOOR Albert M. Sanders, 2 Tudor City Place, New York, N.Y. 10017 Filed Nov. 23, 1966, Ser. No. 596,570 8 Claims. (Cl. 292-207) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a locking apparatus for sliding doors. It consists of a swinging bolt positioned by a leaf spring and locked in latched position by a sliding catch member.

This invention relates to a locking arrangement for sliding doors and in particular to a keyless lock and latch combination which may be used as the principal means of securing a sliding door or to supplement a conventional key-operated lock.

It is an object of my invention to provide improved locking apparatus for sliding doors of the type used in residences to afford access to patios, swimming pools or garden areas.

Another object is to provide an improved lock for sliding doors which can be easily and quickly secured from the inside of the residence and which prevents the door from being opened from the outside even with a key.

Yet another object is to provide a lock for sliding doors which is simple in construction and attractive in appearance.

The locking apparatus of the present invention is particularly adapted for use with a horizontally sliding door of the type wherein the stile of the door abuts a locking jamb when the door is in the fully closed position. A mounting plate, secured to the face of the stile, receives a latch member which may be rotated to engage the locking jamb when the door is fully closed. The latch member is locked in the engaged position by a locking member slidably mounted in a notched edge portion of the mounting plate.

The locking member is an integral unit but, for the purpose of description, may be regarded as divided into locking and operating sections connected by a bridging section. The locking section has a first surface for slidably contacting a mating surface on the latch member and a second resilient surface for slidably contacting the notched edge portion of the mounting plate. The operating section of the locking member extends outwardly from the edge of the mounting plate so that the user may grasp it and slide the member into and out of engagement with the latch member. The notched edge portion of the mounting plate fits within a groove in the locking member formed by the resilient surface of the locking section and surfaces of the operating and bridging sections.

The above objects of and the brief introduction to the present invention will be more fully understood and further objects and advantages will become apparent from a study of the following description in connection with the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial interior elevation of a conventional sliding door and frame combination with the latch mounted on the partially open door;

FIGS. 2a and 2b are rear and side views respectively of the mounting plate showing the latch in an open position and the locking member disengaged from the latch;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the mounting member showing the latch in its fully closed position and the locking member disengaged from the latch;

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3 except that it shows the lock- 3,405,961 Patented Oct. 15, 1968 ing member engaged with the locking surface of the latch member;

FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c are front, rear and end views respectively of the locking member;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the latch member;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the handle, and

FIG. 8 shows the handle assemblied to the latch member.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a door 9 extending between the sill 10 and head 11 of the fixed frame 12. The door which is slidably mounted between the sill and head, is shown in a partially open position. The frame includes a locking jamb 13 which is vertically channeled to mate with stile 14 of the door.

A mounting plate 15 is secured to the face of stile 14 at a convenient distance from the sill by screws 16. The shaft 17a of latch member 17 (see FIG. 6) is inserted in an aperture through mounting plate 15 and door 9 and a handle 18 secured thereto by a screw 18a. Latch member 17 is provided with latching portion 19 which may be rotated to engage the locking jamb 13 when the door is fully closed. A slidable locking member 20 is secured to the edge of mounting plate 15 as shown in greater detail in FIGS. 2-4.

FIG. 2a is a view of the rear of mounting plate 15 showing the latch member 17 in its open position and the locking member 20 disengaged from the latch as in FIG. 1. Plate 15 is provided with a flat spring member 21 held at its ends by clamps 22 and positioned at the center between projections 23 and the shaft of latch member 17. The locking member 20 slides Within a notch 24 in the edge 25 of mounting plate 15 as depicted in FIG. 2b.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the latch member 17 rotated to a position in which it can engage the locking jamb but with the locking member 20 disengaged. In FIG. 4, the mounting plate 15 is illustrated with the locking member 20 moved downward so that its locking section 26 engages the locking surface 27 of latch member 17 thereby preventing the latch member from being rotated.

The locking member 20 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 5a to 50. This member, which is preferably formed of a material such as nylon, comprises an operating section 28, the locking section 26 and a bridging section 29. The operating section 28, which contains a cavity 28a, is large enough to permit it to be gripped with the fingers so that the locking member 20 may be slid from one end of notch 24 to the other. The locking section 26 consists of first and second end elements 26a and 26b connected by a rib element 260 which is substantially narrower than the end elements. A first surface 30 of locking section 26 mates with the locking surface 27 of latch member 17 when the latch and lock are in the positions shown in FIG. 4. A resilient finger 32 is attached at one end to the end element 26b and is provided with a tip 33a extending substantially perpendicular to the wall 37 of rib 26c. Finger 32 projects toward operating section 28 for most of its length so that its outer surface 33 extends slightly beyond the surface 31 of end elements 261: and 26b. The bridging section 29 connects locking section 26 to operating section 28 extending between the lower portions of surfaces 31 and 34. Surfaces 31 and 33 of locking element 26, the surface 34 of operating element 28 and the top surface 35 of bridging element 29 form a groove 36 in the locking member 20'.

As shown in FIGS. l-4, and in particular FIG. 2b, the notched edge 25 of mounting plate 15 fits into the groove in locking member 20. The height h of bridging element 26 is slightly less than the depth d of notch 24, as indicated in FIGS. and 2b so that the member 20 will slide smoothly within the confines of notch 24 when the mounting plate 15 is attached to the door. The spacing s (FIG. a) between surface 33 of resilient finger 32 and surface 34 of operating element 28 is slightly less than the thickness t (FIG. 2a) of edge 25 so that when the locking member is pressed on to the notched portion of the edge of mounting plate 15, finger 32 will be pressed away from the operating element 28 (see FIG. 4). Pressure is maintained on the mounting plate edge 25 since the tip 33a of finger 32 strikes the inner wall 37 of locking section 26. The pressure exerted on edge 25 is sufiicient to prevent any spontaneous motion of the locking member 20 yet permits it to be moved easily within notch 24 by a person pressing on the end of the operating element 28.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the latch member 17 showing the flats 38 which bear against spring 21 to provide positive positioning of the latch in. the open and closed positions. The handle 18, shown from the rear in FIG. 7, is keyed to end 39 of latch member 17 so that when placed over end 39 and secured by screw 18a it cannot move relative to the latch member.

A rib 40 extends across the hollowed-out inner portion 41 of handle 1-8 and a detent 42 is secured to the surface of plate 15. As shown in FIG. 8, when the latch member 17 is inserted in the aperture in mounting plate and handle 18 attached to end 39, clockwise rotation of handle 18 past the position shown is prevented by detent 42 which strikes rib 40. counterclockwise rotation of handle 18 past the open position is prevented by the edge of locking surface 27 striking the portion of spring 21 directly opposite the upper projection 23.

The locking member may be used in conjunction with various forms of mounting plate and latch members in addition to that shown in the drawings. It is easily operated, inexpensive to manufacture and provides excellent security against unauthorized entry.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many different embodiments could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. Locking apparatus for sliding doors of the type wherein the stile of the door abuts a locking jamb when the door is in the fully closed position comprising:

(a) mounting means having an aperture in the surface thereof, said mounting means having a noched edge portion perpendicular to said surface,

(b) latching means having a shaft rotatably mounted within the aperture in said mounting means, said latching means having a latching portion for engaging said locking jamb and a locking surface, and

(c) locking means having operating and locking sections connected by a bridging section, said locking section having a first surface for slidably contacting the locking surface of said latch member and a second resilient surface for slidably contacting the notched edge portion of said mounting means, said notched edge portion of said mounting means fitting within a groove formed by the resilient surface of said locking sections and the surfaces of said operating and bridging sections.

2. Locking apparatus for sliding doors as defined by claim 1 wherein the resilient surface of said locking section comprises a finger element attached at one end to the end of said locking section, said finger element resiliently pressing against the edge portion of said mounting plate to prevent spontaneous motion of said locking means.

3. Locking apparatus for sliding doors as defined by claim 1 wherein said mounting means is provided with a spring member secured at each end, said spring member being located between the shaft of said latching means and the notched edge portion of said mounting means.

4. In combination with locking apparatus for sliding doors, a locking member comprising:

(a) a locking section having:

(1) first and second spaced end elements connected by a rib element, said rib element being substantially narrower than said end elements and having an inner surface,

(2) a resilient finger element connected at one end to one of said end elements, said finger element extending parallel to the inner surface of said rib element and spaced therefrom,

(b) an operating section having a surface adjacent to and substantially parallel with the surfaces of said end elements and said resilient finger, and

(c) a bridging section coupling said locking and operating sections, the resilient finger and end elements of said locking section, the surface of said operating section and a surface of said bridging section forming a groove in said locking member.

5. The locking member of claim 4 wherein said resilient finger element is further provided with a tip extending toward and substantially perpendicular to the inner surface of said rib element.

6. Locking apparatus for sliding doors of the type wherein the stile of the door abuts a locking jamb when the door is in the fully closed position comprising:

(a) a mounting plate having inner and outer faces and an aperture in the surface thereof, said mounting plate having a notched edge portion perpendicular to said surface,

(b) a latch member having a shaft rotatably mounted within the aperture in said mounting means, said latch member having a latching portion for engaging said locking jamb and a locking surface,

(c) a spring positioned within said mounting plate and secured at each end, said spring being located between the shaft of said latching means and the notched edge portion of said mounting means, and

(d) a locking member comprising:

(1) a locking section having:

(a') first and second spaced end elements connected by a rib element, said rib element being substantially narrower than said end elements and having an inner surface,

(b') a resilient finger element connected at one end to one of said end elements, said finger element extending parallel to the inner surface of said rib element and spaced therefrom,

(2) an operating section having a surface adjacent to and substantially parallel with the surfaces of said end elements and said resilient finger, and

(3) a bridging section coupling said locking and operating sections; the resilient finger and end elements of said locking section, the surface of said operating section and a surface of said bridging section forming a groove in said locking member.

7. Locking apparatus as defined by claim 6 wherein the distance between the resilient finger element of said locking member and the adjacent surface of said operating section is less than the thickness of the edge portion of said mounting plate when said locking member is removed from said mounting plate, and wherein the tip of said finger element is pressed against the inner surface of said rib element when the notched edge portion of said mounting plate is fitted within the groove of said locking member.

8. Locking apparatus as defined by claim 6 which further comprises:

(a) a handle provided with a rib element on one side thereof, said handle being secured to the shaft of said latch member,

(b) a detent secured to the outer face of said mounting plate adjacent said aperture, and

(c) a pair of projections secured to the inner face of said mounting plate adjacent said aperture and between said spring and the notched edge portion of said mounting plate, said handle rotating said latch member with respect to said mounting plate through an angle limited at one end by said rib element striking said detent and at the other element by the latching portion of said latch member striking said spring and pressing said spring against said projections.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,877,036 3/1959 Schulz et al. 29260 5 3,021,163 2/1962 Hoffman 292147 3,040,555 6/1962 Wartian 70-97 3,065,985 11/1962 Du Four 292-107 X MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

10 I. R. MOSES, Assistant Examiner, 

